


Marinette Dupain-Cheng and the Cursed Child

by theheadgirl



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 20:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12440997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theheadgirl/pseuds/theheadgirl
Summary: It's a typical day at Hogwarts - Marinette is running late, too much treacle tart at lunch, the usual - when one of the more melancholy students catches the eye of the man in the Shrieking Shack. Chaos ensues.





	Marinette Dupain-Cheng and the Cursed Child

The only sound in the stone hallway is her pink Converse hitting against the floor and her breathing echoing in her ears as she runs. The wooden door ahead seems impossibly far away, but she grits her jaw and puts on another burst of speed that her body doesn't want to give. Too bad, she tells herself sharply. You're almost there. Finally, she puts her hand on the doorknob and pushes it open as silently as she can, peering around the door to get the lay of the land. The professor's back is to the door, writing something on the blackboard, and she pumps her fist in silent victory. Slipping through the gap, she takes her seat, trying to calm her breathing before the professor turns around. 

"Five points from Hufflepuff, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Professor Findlay says without turning around. She writes the last few strokes of the rune on the blackboard and turns, pinning Marinette with a disapproving look. 

Marinette sinks in her seat. "Sorry, Professor Findlay." Across the aisle, Chloe giggles. 

"What happened?" Alya whispers. 

In her head, Marinette hears the zip of her yoyo, the thud of the Parchment Prince hitting the roof of the school, the scrape of his nails across the slate tiles as he tried to claw away from her. 

She takes a moment to dig her Ancient Runes book out of her bag to give herself time to think. 

"I fell asleep in the common room," she whispers. "I ate too much at lunch." That's true, at least. Ladybug's heightened agility and speed can only make up so much for the extra treacle tart Marinette had eaten at lunch. 

Alya shakes her head. "I should thank you for letting Slytherin take the lead."

Marinette gives her a weak grin. "You're welcome?"

Alya gently tweaks her wrist, and they turn their attention to the front of the room. 

 

Once the bell rings to dismiss them from Runes, they join the mass of humanity in the Hogwarts halls. 

"Double Potions next," Alya complains. "I hate being down there for so long; it's so stifling."

"Your common room is right down there too," Marinette points out. 

"Yeah, but the common room doesn't have," she gestures vaguely, "fumes."

“Tsk!" Chloe says, inserting herself into the conversation. "At least you don't have to worry about it ruining your hair!" She gives Alya's wild curls a disdainful glance, then smooths down her own perfectly curled ponytail before sweeping past, Sabrina hurrying behind her. "Oh! Adrikins! Wait up, I'm going to Potions too!" She shoves her way through the crowd, earning herself quite a few glares and grumbles, latching onto Adrien's arm and beaming up at him adoringly.

"Yeah, I know, it's Tuesday," Adrien says with a nervous chuckle. He glances over his shoulder and catches Marinette's eye, giving her a crooked half-grin.

Immediately, Marinette's irritation with Chloe gives way to radiant joy, and she beams back at him. He turns away, but Marinette can't stop grinning until Alya pokes her in the side.

"You look like someone cast a Cheering Charm on you, girl, calm down."

"Adrien is a Cheering Charm all on his own," Marinette replies. She sighs, and it's only the crush of people in the hallway that keeps her from pirouetting and dancing right there.

They clatter down the stairs to the dungeon, passing by two boys as they do: one with dark hair and green eyes, and the other with platinum blond hair and a distinctly pointed chin. 

"That was Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy!" Alya hisses. She glances over her shoulder. "I wonder if their parents know they're hanging out!"

"Who?" says Marinette. Is she supposed to be paying attention to firsties now?

"Albus Potter, son of THE Harry Potter, and Scorpius Malfoy, son of his archrival Draco Malfoy? That would be like your kid and Chloe's becoming besties."

Marinette sighs. "Do you think the children would have black hair or blonde?"

"What?" Alya follows Marinette's dreamy gaze down the stairs and can't quite hold back a sigh of her own. She opens her mouth to point out that the kids would probably be brunette, then shuts it again. She's better off lecturing a brick wall. (And at Hogwarts, there's a real chance the wall might talk back.) 

The sixth-years arrive at the Potions classroom and hurry in, taking their usual seats. Professor Slughorn is already waiting, watching them with an avuncular air. Marinette notices his gaze especially warm on Adrien and Chloe, the only two students in their NEWT Potions class to score an invite to the exclusive Slug Club. Although it irritates her that Chloe has one more thing to lord over her, it is better for Marinette to blend in - it's not quite so noticeable when she vanishes. 

She adjusts her earring, then gets out her textbook and parchment, ready for the long period. 

 

That evening, in the Great Hall, Marinette grabs a seat by Rose at the Hufflepuff table. She cranes her neck to look at the Slytherin table to find Alya, and instead spots the dark-haired boy from earlier. He looks glum, prodding at his shepherd's pie with a spoon. 

"Rose," she says, "Alya said that's Harry Potter's son. Is that true?"

"Hm?" Rose blinks those huge blue eyes, then looks over as well. "Oh, yes. It was a big scandal when he got Sorted into Slytherin, remember?"

"I remember people made a big fuss about it."

Rose nods. "You're Muggleborn, so you wouldn't understand. Harry Potter is a Gryffindor war hero, and his wife comes from a long line of Gryffindors. Over there - " she points to the Gryffindor table, and Marinette sees a good-looking young man holding court, laughing - "is his elder brother, James. Everyone expected Albus to go into Gryffindor like James did." 

There is a distinct resemblance between the laughing boy and the one who looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. Marinette looks back at Albus.

"Why did he go into Slytherin?"

Rose shrugs. "That just might be where the Hat thought would be best for him."

She turns back to her food, and Marinette watches the fair-haired boy sit down as well. He tries to engage Albus in conversation, but it seems to bounce off of the other boy. Albus looks up, and for a moment, his strikingly green eyes meet hers. Flustered, Marinette looks down, shoving a forkful of mashed potatoes in her mouth. When she dares a glance back up, Albus is gone, and Scorpius is sitting alone.

 

In a dilapidated building on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, a rose window unfurls one petal at a time until it reveals the little village below, the towers of Hogwarts vaulting in the distance. 

"Poor little rich boy," Hawkmoth purrs, grey eyes lit with amusement. "Middle-born and least loved, not as talented as the oldest and not as sweet as the youngest. No one understands, do they?"

He reaches out a hand, and a white butterfly lands in his palm. Oh-so-gently, he cups his hands around it and focuses. When he pulls his hands away, the butterfly glows with a malevolent purple light. 

"Now fly, my little akuma, and evilize him!" 

The butterfly takes off and escapes through the open center of the rose window, fluttering over the snow-covered rooftops, intent on the castle ahead. 

 

"I hate it here," Albus whispers, and it's so empowering to say that he repeats it, louder. "I hate it here!"

Everyone stared and no one bothered to say hello. People wanted the second coming of Harry Potter, and when they realized they had gotten Albus instead, they wrote him off and went back to fawning over James. Albus hated them all.

Maybe he'll run away. 

Flipping open his bag, he pulls out a quill and a piece of parchment, then sits down on the front step and considers how best to write a "running away" note that doesn't make it sound like he's dead.

Practically indistinguishable against the darkening sky, a butterfly flutters down and lands on his quill. In an instant, it vanishes, and Albus gasps as he -

"Hello, Cursed Child." Before he can speak, or react, the voice in his head continues, "No one understands you, do they? They only see what they want to see, and no one bothers to see the real you. You're so alone - abandoned by your brother and dismissed by your parents. 

"I can help you, Cursed Child. With my help, you can make them as alone as you, then they'll finally understand. I just have one request for you in return.

"When Ladybug and Chat Noir come to try to stop you, you must take their Miraculouses - her earrings, and his ring. A small price for such a large prize, don't you think?"

Albus slowly, slowly nods. He looks up, features marred by the butterfly-like mask superimposed on his face. "I agree."

Black and purple energy bubbles from his quill, down his arm, and sweeps over his body. When it vanishes, the figure left behind is hardly recognizable as Albus Potter.

A black cloak catches in the breeze as it settles around him, the high collar hiding his face just below his eyes. Underneath is a loose black shirt and trousers, golden boots, his quill tucked into his belt, and on his hands are golden gloves with long, vicious claws. His eyes are covered with a black and gold mask, and he stretches out his hands to look at them.

"All you have to do," Hawkmoth continues, "is strike a person with the lightning from your gloves, and you'll lock them away like they locked you away."

Cursed Child looks around and spots two older students. He thrusts his hand out, and lightning crackles out, striking one of the boys in the back. His cry of surprise ends abruptly as he vanishes. A tiny gilded cage appears mid-air, and falls to the ground with a clatter. Within, it is just possible to make out shouting, and a series of tiny clangs as though something is hitting the bars.

The other boy looks up and spots Cursed Child. He opens his mouth to cry out, but lightning zaps before he can.

 

Marinette stands at the entrance to the Great Hall, impatiently waiting for Alya to finish talking to one of her classmates. Although she's more than welcome to sit at the Slytherin table if she wants, she'd rather wait and not sit by Chloe if she doesn't have to. She casts a glance at the clock, but even it's conspiring against her. Even though she's sure she's been waiting for Alya for fifteen minutes, the clock seems to insist it's only been two. Marinette groans. She's going to die here. 

A commotion in the entry hall catches her attention and she leans around the door, trying to see what's going on. 

People are running, screaming - and in the midst of the chaos is a cloaked figure, and a constant clatter of tiny cages hitting the flagstone floor. 

Marinette doesn't hesitate. With a glance back at Alya to make sure she's still engrossed in conversation, she says "What's going on out there?" Now, if anyone wonders where she's gone, she'll have her alibi.

She ducks around the door and into the entryway, spotting an empty classroom. She hurries into it, her own running covered by the frantic escape attempts of her classmates, and touches her earring. 

"Tikki, spots on!"

A moment later, Ladybug stands in the empty room, and she lets the adrenaline of the transformation push her out of the room and into the fray. 

The ground is littered with cages, although the shrieking and yelling she hears from inside tells her that their occupants are okay - just in a bind. 

"You can't just cage people up!" she calls to the masked figure. "This isn't a zoo!"

The figure turns to glare at her, and with a sick jolt of her stomach, Marinette recognizes those eyes. Strikingly green, and unmistakable. 

_Albus_.

"You're next!" he snarls, and shoots a blast of lightning at her. She deftly ducks away, and the lightning cracks the wall behind her. She dares a glance at it and realizes she's got to get him out of the building - Hogwarts is tough, but she doesn't want to subject it to more of that kind of damage.

"Hope you're ready to work for the insect house!" she calls back to him. She takes off, wrapping her yoyo around a ceiling support and pulling herself up so she can start running towards the front door.

"Yoo-hoo!" A familiar figure appears in the front door, hanging upside down. "Got room for a big cat in your zoo?"

Ladybug grins, relieved to see Chat Noir, and continues towards him. Another bolt of lightning arcs towards her, and she ducks out of the way just in time. The ceiling support cracks, a fine shower of dust pouring down. Definitely outside, and now. 

With one last flip, Ladybug lands on the ground in between the front doors, and Cursed Child is hot on her heels. 

"We need to get him somewhere he can't damage the building!" she says to Chat Noir. He gracefully dismounts, and he points further down.

"Quidditch pitch! Ravenclaw was practicing but they've - I mean, I'm sure they've evacuated by now."

Marinette feels another jot of relief. Adrien is on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and knowing that he's out of harm's way leads her to nod. 

"Great! It's open and there's not a lot to hit out there."

"Kitty got claws AND brains," Chat Noir says with a smirk, and they abruptly jump apart as another lightning blast comes at them. It hits a tree, and the tree shakes but absorbs the blow.

"Come on!" 

They take off, Chat Noir using his telescoping pole to bound ahead while Ladybug pulls herself into the trees, leaping from branch to branch. Cursed Child follows close behind, blasting at them. One bolt comes dangerously close to Ladybug's foot, and she overbalances, arms flailing, and she desperately tries to remember if you're supposed to cross your arms when you fall from a height to protect your chest or if that just breaks your arms -

She lands, instead, in a pair of strong, black-clad arms, and looks up at Chat Noir. 

"I knew you'd fall for me eventually, milady," he coos, and she leaps out onto the ground. 

"We all make mistakes," she replies, and they both duck another bolt of lightning. With a quick shared glance, they take off again.

Finally, the Quidditch pitch looms over them, and Ladybug aims her yoyo at the wall to pull herself over. Chat Noir uses his pole to get to the wall, but instead of dropping over on the other side, he balances on the top.

"Hey, you coming?" he needles Cursed Child. In response, a lightning bolt flies at him and he drops to his stomach to avoid it.

"Maybe don't egg him on?" Ladybug calls from the pitch. Chat Noir drops to the ground, then bounds over to Ladybug.

"Couldn't have him think I was chicken, could I?"

Ladybug groans, but her snappy comeback is interrupted by the appearance of Cursed Child.

"Do you think this is funny?" he snaps, golden fingers curling and uncurling, green eyes glaring at them through the mask. "I'm going to cage you up and take those little charms, then you won't be so special!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Chat Noir points out. He grins at Ladybug, then takes off towards Cursed Child. 

"Chat Noir, what are you - "

Lightning blasts at him again, but Chat Noir uses his pole to vault over the boy's head, letting the momentum take him to the middle goal hoop. He grabs onto it and pulls himself up.

"Ten points!" he yells.

Marinette looks back and gasps. Cursed Child has rapidly closed the distance between them, and he's holding his hand up, curled around a crackling ball of lightning.

"I know your eyes," he hisses. "And when I steal your Miraculous, I'll know I'm right."

Marinette gasps, scampering a few steps back. Cursed Child thrusts the lightning towards her, and she wraps her yoyo around his ankle and pulls his leg out from under him. The shot goes wild, cracking against the wall of the pitch. She pulls the yoyo back and runs off, her heart pounding in her chest. 

_I know your eyes._ It's never been an option to let someone have her Miraculous, but she can't risk him getting anywhere near her. 

Chat Noir catches up, and they split off. Cursed Child doesn't even acknowledge Chat Noir, though - his focus is entirely on Ladybug. Bolts of lightning flash past her, and one grazes her elbow. She gasps.

"What's the deal?" she yells, not to anyone in particular, but just in general. "There are two of us!"

"Do you think I'm going to waste my time on some clown? Once I've got you, he'll collapse like a house of cards."

"Hey!" Chat Noir yells, scowling. "That's not true!" He reconsiders. "Probably!"

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug calls. She tosses her yoyo into the air, and it falls into her hands again as a small, gold-edged mirror.

"A mirror?" she whispers. She glances around, trying to get more information. There - Chat Noir, the goal post, Cursed Child's hand, the mirror.

"Chat Noir!" she calls. "Destroy the middle post!"

"What?" Chat Noir sounds horrified. "You can't do that to the Quidditch pitch!"

"You're right! _You_ can! Just do it!"

Chat Noir shakes his head, then lifts his hand. "CATACLYSM!"

He swipes at the post, and Ladybug takes off towards Cursed Child as the post begins to collapse. He glares at her and starts pulling together a huge bolt of lightning with both hands. He looses it and Ladybug brings up the mirror at the last possible second. The electricity bounces off the mirror and tears towards the Cursed Child. He freezes, but in the nick of time, Ladybug tackles him to the ground, and the lightning smashes into the goal post instead. He stares up at her, wide-eyed, and she plucks the quill from his belt. In the second before she snaps it in half, she hears him whisper, "Hufflepuff."

Marinette's heart skips a beat. Her hand closes convulsively on the quill, and it snaps in her grip. The akuma flutters out and Ladybug leaps to her feet.

"Time to de-evilize!" She spins her yoyo and catches the akuma, and when it releases, the butterfly is once again pure white. 

"Bye bye, little butterfly!" she calls, then tosses the mirror high into the air. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

A whoosh of magic sweeps through the Hogwarts grounds, righting the Quidditch goal, then streaking back to the castle to fix the damage there, and to release the tiny witches and wizards from their gilded cages.

Grinning, Ladybug turns to Chat Noir, and lifts her fist.

"Pound it!"

Albus Potter sits up, holding his head, and looks at the two heroes with confusion. "How did I get here?"

Ladybug smiles at him. "You'll be okay." Her earring beeps in warning, and she raises her yoyo. "But I gotta bug out!" She wraps it around the far goal and makes her exit, hitting the ground at a run so Marinette can reappear among the newly-released. 

 

In the attic in Hogsmeade, Hawkmoth howls in fury. "Next time, Ladybug," he promises, fists clenching at his sides. "Next time you won't be so lucky."

He gestures, and the rose window closes, leaving him in darkness. 

 

This is a stupid idea. Marinette remembers the shot of cold terror that had shot down her spine when Albus - Cursed Child - had identified her house, but the best way to neutralize a threat is to befriend it. 

She spots him ahead and waves. Bemused, he waves back.

"Albus, right?" she says as they draw closer to each other. She beams and sticks out her hand. "I'm Marinette."

"I'm not going to tell you anything about my father," he says, glancing at her hand like it's a dead thing.

"Fine, I won't tell you anything about mine, either," she replies. 

Albus looks at her, and blue meets green. His gaze is hard, like he's evaluating her. Then he finally takes her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too. My best friend is in Slytherin, too, so I'll see you at the table!" Marinette smiles and hurries off. 

Albus stands in the middle of the hallway, an island in the river of students, and watches her go. For a fraction of a second, his eyes narrow, like he's trying to remember something from a dream, and then he shakes his head. 

"No," he murmurs, then starts to walk again, and he can't seem to stop the smile that lifts his lips as he does.

**Author's Note:**

> This is possibly the dumbest thing I have ever written, but I had a lot of fun doing so! Also, everything is a Harry Potter AU and nothing will convince me otherwise.


End file.
